The government will review the issue of public examinations, including the abolished Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3), as the matter continues to be raised by parents, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said today.
She said the review will be conducted by the National Education Advisory Council (NEAC), with discussions involving the Education Ministry’s top management.
“Yes, any examinations that are being mentioned or debated publicly, I have asked that the Education director-general will also present the Ministry’s views, and the council members will discuss them,” she told reporters after delivering her Ministry’s 2026 New Year message.
Fadhlina said all findings, including reports and survey results, would be formally submitted to the Cabinet for a final decision. She added that the review process would be carried out soon, although no specific timeline was given.
On Oct 22, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh told the Dewan Rakyat that the removal of UPSR and PT3 had not affected Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results, based on the Ministry’s evaluation of the 2023 and 2024 examination outcomes.
Calls to reassess the examination policy intensified in September after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged a review following revelations that 27 per cent of Year One pupils nationwide were struggling with basic literacy and numeracy skills.
However, the Education director-general has previously expressed opposition to reverting to a system heavily reliant on public examinations, warning that an exam-centric approach would undermine holistic assessment and produce a “generation of parrots”.
UPSR and PT3 were replaced with the Ujian Akhir Sesi Akademik, which is administered by schools as part of the current student assessment framework.
